Device communication management in user activity monitoring systems

ABSTRACT

In some aspects, a method of managing communication between a first electronic device and a second electronic device. The method includes facilitating, by a first electronic device, motion of a second electronic device in a motion sequence; detecting, by the second electronic device, motion of the second electronic device in the motion sequence; determining, by the second electronic device, a key from the motion sequence from the detecting, the key being usable to communicate with the first electronic device; and wirelessly communicating, by a communication interface of the second electronic device, with the first electronic device using the key.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/041975, filed Sep. 25, 2020, which is a U.S. national stageapplication of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2019/064469,filed Jun. 4, 2019, which claims priority to U.K. ProvisionalApplication Nos. 1809081.1 and 1809146.2 respectively filed on Jun. 4,2018, and Jun. 5, 2018; the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, systems,and methods for managing communication between user activity monitoringdevices and data processing devices.

Description of Related Art

Pressure ulcers, which may also be known as pressure sores, bedsores, ordecubitus ulcers, are injuries to skin and underlying tissue resultingfrom prolonged pressure on the skin, soft tissue, muscle, or bone abovecapillary filling pressure (approximately 32 mmHg).

One type of pressure ulcer that develops on a foot is known as adiabetic foot ulcer (DFU), which tends to occur with a higher frequencyand intensity in the diabetic population. Management and treatment ofdiabetic foot ulcers requires offloading the diabetic foot ulcers byusing cushioned footwear, such as a support boot, cast, shoe, or thelike. While offloading can be effective, it has been found thatnon-compliance with or non-use of the offloading devices can play alarge role in the delayed healing of the diabetic foot ulcers.

Prior art approaches and systems provide little or no informationregarding an individual's lifestyle and compliance with the offloadingdevices. Gaining insight into the individual's lifestyle can beimportant for the prevention and healing of pressure ulcers. However,because of these limitations, the prevention and healing of pressureulcers using prior art approaches and systems may be delayed or, worseyet, worsened leading to prolonged discomfort, hospitalization, or evensurgery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described hereinafter,by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1A illustrates a user activity monitoring system including anexample activity monitoring device;

FIG. 1B illustrates the activity monitoring device of FIG. 1A incommunication with an example data processing device;

FIG. 2 illustrates example components of the activity monitoring deviceof FIG. 1A and the data processing device of FIG. 1B;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example device communication initiation process;

FIG. 4 illustrates the data processing device of FIG. 1B positioned toinitiate communication with the activity monitoring device of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the data processing device of FIG. 1Binstructing how to configure communication between the activitymonitoring device of FIG. 1A and the data processing device;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the data processing device of FIG. 1B with acase for assisting in placement of the activity monitoring device ofFIG. 1A against the data processing device;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C illustrate the data processing device of FIG. 1Bwith alternative cases for assisting in placement of the activitymonitoring device of FIG. 1A against the data processing device;

FIG. 8A illustrates the data processing device of FIG. 1B positioned toinitiate communication with the activity monitoring device of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 8B illustrates the data processing device of FIG. 1B positioned toinitiate communication with multiple of the activity monitoring deviceof FIG. 1A;

FIG. 9 illustrates the activity monitoring device of FIG. 1A interactingwith the data processing device of FIG. 1B;

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate example data gathered by the activitymonitoring device of FIG. 1A and the data processing device of FIG. 1Bduring an interaction of the activity monitoring device and the dataprocessing device;

FIG. 11 illustrates example conductive or dielectric portions of theactivity monitoring device of FIG. 1A; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate example resistance setting for conductiveor dielectric portions of the activity monitoring device of FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

At least some aspects disclosed herein relate to apparatuses, systems,and methods for using out-of-band communication (for example, vianear-field communication, visible light, or device vibration) tosecurely arrange in-band communication (for example, via radio waves)between an activity monitoring device and a data processing device. Oncein-band communication between the activity monitoring device and thedata processing device has been setup via out-of-band communication, theactivity monitoring device can, for example, transmit data gathered bythe activity monitoring device to the data processing device via in-bandcommunication, and the data processing device to transmit via in-bandcommunication commands to the activity monitoring device, such as foradjusting operations of the activity monitoring device. The datagathered by the activity monitoring device can advantageously, incertain aspects, be used to prevent, monitor, or otherwise managepressure ulcers for a user of the activity monitoring device

In one example, a motor and accelerometer can be used as a method ofcommunication for the purpose of out-of-band pairing of the activitymonitoring device and the data processing device. The data processingdevice can, for example, asynchronously communicate via vibrationimpulses of the motor, and the accelerometer of the activity monitoringdevice can be used to detect the vibration impulses. The vibrationimpulses can be used by the data processing device to share anencryption key for the purpose of secure communication, such as viaradio waves using a protocol like Bluetooth™ Low Energy.

The activity monitoring device of the preceding paragraph can be asensor device that includes a wireless communication module, anaccelerometer, and an encapsulate. The encapsulate can be a conductivematerial or dielectric material that is detectable by a touchscreen,such as of the data processing device. The data processing device of thepreceding paragraph can, for instance, be a smart phone or tabletcomputer and include a vibrating motor, a wireless communicationsmodule, and a touchscreen. The touchscreen can indicate a location onthe touchscreen that the activity monitoring device is to be placed. Thetouchscreen can be used to detected when the activity monitoring deviceis placed due to the encapsulate of the activity monitoring device andthe dimensions of the activity monitoring device. Once placement isdetected, the data processing device can either pulse the vibratingmotor in a pre-determined pattern to initiate a pairing process or finda closest wireless communicating device (such as one communicating viaan expected protocol like Bluetooth™ Low Energy) and initiate thepairing process via wireless communications. Once pairing has initiated,the communication channel from the vibrating motor to the accelerometercan be used as a secure out-of-band communication method fortransmitting encryption keys. Such an approach advantageously can, incertain aspects, permit more complex keys to be used than if the keyswere entered manually by a user because automatic transfer of the keysmakes the transfer process minimally onerous on the user regardless ofthe complexity of the keys.

Although an activity monitoring device and a data processing device areused as examples to describe certain features described herein, at leastsome of the features can apply more broadly to communication between twoelectronic devices that may perform one or more additional oralternative functions than those described for an activity monitoringdevice and a data processing device.

In some implementations, a sensor congruency can be used asauthentication. A unique physical input (for example, caused by a motorvibration or due to muscle tremors of a user) to two accelerometers orother type of sensor in two devices, can provide an authenticationmethod. The two accelerometers or other type of sensor can function asan out-of-band communication for device pairing. One device can recordmotion via its accelerometer and can pass data indicative of therecorded motion to the other device. The other device can compare thereceived data with what it recorded. Because both devices may have beengiven the same input, this can confirm both device are in contact andmay be paired.

A light, such as a light emitting diode, may emit light, and an amountof light absorbed or reflected can be measured with a camera in someaspects to assist with positioning or identifying a device. In some suchaspects, a polymer used to cover a device can function in part as afiber optic to assist with transfer of light.

Although some examples described herein may describe out-of-bandcommunication as being unidirectional for convenience, out-of-bandcommunication can instead be bidirectional.

A data processing device can, for instance, facilitate movement of anactivity monitoring device in a predefined pattern that is recognizableby the activity monitoring device to correspond to a pairing vibrationor motion. The activity monitoring device can, in turn, enable wirelesscommunications between the activity monitoring device and the dataprocessing device responsive to the activity monitoring device detectingthe predefined pattern.

When an activity monitoring device may be partly or fully covered in atouchscreen sensitive material, a data processing device can recordmovement by the activity monitoring device across the touchscreen asmovement data. The movement data can be recorded as would movement of afinger across the touchscreen, such as to detect a swiping of thefinger. The movement data can be compared by the data processing deviceor the activity monitoring device to position data (such as,double-integrated motion data gathered by an accelerometer) for theactivity monitoring device. Such an approach can provide a way tovalidate that the activity monitoring device and the data processingdevice should be connected. Moreover, such an approach can provide adefense against a man-in-the-middle attack because a manual physicalinteraction may be part of the pairing process.

In some aspects, an activity monitoring device may be less than fullycovered in a touchscreen sensitive material. The portion of the activitymonitoring device that is covered with the touchscreen sensitivematerial can be selected to create a distinctive device signature whichcan be detected by a touchscreen of a data processing device. Moreover,the device signature can be controlled or varied by setting a resistance(such as, a fixed resistance) between individual touch-sensitiveportions (such as, pads) of the activity monitoring device. The devicesignature can desirably, in certain aspects, be used to provideconfidence in what device is in contact with the touchscreen. In someimplementations, the confidence can further be quantified as a value andused to control one or more outputs or communications disclosed herein.

One or more features disclosed herein can, in certain aspects, desirablyhelp prevent a man-in-the-middle attack where an attacker may secretlyrelay and possibly alter communication between two electronic devicesthat believe they are directly communicating with each other. The one ormore features can at least help prevent the man-in-the-middle attack byassisting with establishing a secure communication between the twoelectronic devices where it may be very difficult for the attacker tocircumvent mutual authentication and for the attacker to impersonateeach of the two electronic devices.

Introduction to User Activity Monitoring

Activities of a user may be desirably monitored by an activitymonitoring device for a variety of reasons, including wound preventionand monitoring. In one example, the activities of a user can bemonitored when the user may be prone to or already have a wound, such asa pressure ulcer. Information gathered by the activity monitoring deviceabout the activities of the user can be helpful for assisting withprevention or treatment of the pressure ulcer. In addition, informationgathered by the activity monitoring device about the activities can beuseful for checking compliance with a treatment regimen.

Some aspects disclosed herein relate to wound monitoring or therapy fora human or animal body. Therefore, any reference to a wound herein canrefer to a wound on a human or animal body, and any reference to a bodyherein can refer to a human or animal body. The disclosed technology mayrelate to preventing or minimizing damage to physiological tissue orliving tissue, or to the treatment of damaged tissue (for example, awound as described herein).

As used herein the expression “wound” may include an injury to livingtissue may be caused by a cut, blow, or other impact, typically one inwhich the skin is cut or broken. A wound may be a chronic or acuteinjury. Acute wounds occur as a result of surgery or trauma. They movethrough the stages of healing within a predicted timeframe. Chronicwounds typically begin as acute wounds. The acute wound can become achronic wound when it does not follow the healing stages resulting in alengthened recovery. It is believed that the transition from acute tochronic wound can be due to a patient being immuno-compromised.

Chronic wounds may include for example: venous ulcers (such as thosethat occur in the legs), which account for the majority of chronicwounds and mostly affect the elderly, diabetic ulcers (for example, footor ankle ulcers), peripheral arterial disease, pressure ulcers, orepidermolysis bullosa (EB).

Examples of other wounds include, but are not limited to, abdominalwounds or other large or incisional wounds, either as a result ofsurgery, trauma, sterniotomies, fasciotomies, or other conditions,dehisced wounds, acute wounds, chronic wounds, subacute and dehiscedwounds, traumatic wounds, flaps and skin grafts, lacerations, abrasions,contusions, bums, diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, stoma, surgicalwounds, trauma and venous ulcers or the like.

Wounds may include a deep tissue injury. Deep tissue injury is a termproposed by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) todescribe a unique form of pressure ulcers. These ulcers have beendescribed by clinicians for many years with terms such as purplepressure ulcers, ulcers that are likely to deteriorate and bruises onbony prominences.

Wound may include tissue at risk of becoming a wound as discussedherein. For example, tissue at risk may include tissue over a bonyprotuberance (at risk of deep tissue injury/insult) or pre-surgicaltissue (for example, knee tissue) that may has the potential to be cut(for example, for joint replacement/surgical alteration/reconstruction).

Some aspects relate to methods of monitoring or treating a wound withthe technology disclosed herein in conjunction with one or more of thefollowing: advanced footwear, turning a patient, offloading (such as,offloading diabetic foot ulcers), treatment of infection, systemix,antimicrobial, antibiotics, surgery, removal of tissue, affecting bloodflow, physiotherapy, exercise, bathing, nutrition, hydration, nervestimulation, ultrasound, electrostimulation, oxygen therapy, microwavetherapy, active agents ozone, antibiotics, antimicrobials, or the like.

Alternatively or additionally, a wound may be treated using topicalnegative pressure or traditional advanced wound care, which is not aidedby the using of applied negative pressure (may also be referred to asnon-negative pressure therapy).

Although the present disclosure may refer to pressure ulcers, footulcers, or the like, the systems and methods disclosed herein can beused for preventing, monitoring, or treating any type of skin injury orwound, such as a venous leg ulcer.

User Activity Monitoring System

FIG. 1A illustrates a user activity monitoring system 100 including anactivity monitoring device 120 attached to a body part 110. The activitymonitoring device 120 can be attached to the body part 110 using astrap, adhesive, or other coupling mechanism and may be worn on orsupported by the body.

The body part 110 can be a leg of a user that includes a knee 112 and afoot 114. As illustrated the activity monitoring device 120 can besupported by the body part 110 at a position between the knee 112 andthe foot 114, such as proximate to the knee 112. In other aspects, theactivity monitoring device 120 can be supported by another part of thebody part 110, such as above the knee 112 or elsewhere. The activitymonitoring device 120 can be supported using a strap, adhesive, or othercoupling mechanism. The activity monitoring device 120 can monitor andrecord activities (for instance, walking, jumping, sitting, laying down,running, squatting, or standing) of the body part 110, such as from aposition, movement, or orientation of the activity monitoring device 120or one or more other sensors of the activity monitoring device 120. Theactivity monitoring device 120 can, for example, be used for loadingmonitoring of loading of the foot 114. In certain aspects, multiple bodyparts can be monitored by the activity monitoring device 120, anddifferent sensors can be used for monitoring different body parts.

The body part 110 is shown wearing and being partly covered by anorthopedic device 130 (sometimes referred to as an offloading device).The orthopedic device 130 can support the body part 110 and reduce apressure on the foot 114 when the user may be standing or engaging inother activities.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 1A, the user activity monitoring system100 can additionally or alternatively include one or more of theactivity monitoring device 120 at other positions, such as at a positionsupported by the orthopedic device 130, another part of the body part110, another device not worn such as a cane or a walker, or elsewhere.These one or more additional or alternative of the activity monitoringdevice 120 can be the same as or similar to the activity monitoringdevice 120 may monitor and record activities of the orthopedic device130, the another part of the body part 110, or the body.

FIG. 1B illustrates a data transfer system 140 that includes theactivity monitoring device 120 and a data processing device 150. Theactivity monitoring device 120 can be positioned proximate to the dataprocessing device 150 and communicate, such as wirelessly, with the dataprocessing device 150.

The activity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150can together configure a communication channel with one another topermit transfer of recorded activities or other data from the activitymonitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150 or transfer ofone or more commands from the data processing device 150 to the activitymonitoring device 120, among other possibilities. As described herein,the activity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150can configure the communication channel, such as a radio wave channel,using out-of-band communication, such as via a motion communicationchannel or an optical communication channel. The data processing device150 can, for example, be a smart phone or a tablet computer.

The activity monitoring device 120 can at least partly or may be fullycovered by conductive material, dielectric material, or the like (forinstance, a polymer or that may approximate a conductance or capacitanceof a human finger). The data processing device 150 can include atouch-sensitive display that detects the conductive or dielectricmaterial on the activity monitoring device 120 to determine contactbetween the activity monitoring device 120 and the display of the dataprocessing device 150.

FIG. 2 illustrates components 200 of the activity monitoring device 120and the data processing device 150. The activity monitoring device 120can include a controller 202, a memory device 204, a user interface 206,a power source 208, one or more sensors 210, and a communicationinterface 212 that are configured to communicate, such as electricallycommunicate, with one another. The power source 208 can provide power toone or more components of the activity monitoring device 120.

The components of the activity monitoring device 120 can be contained inor supported by a housing of the activity monitoring device 120. Thehousing can be composed of a top portion and a bottom portion that aresealed together, and the top portion or the bottom portion can be hardor soft. The housing can be flexible and have a mechanical structure anddesign features that provide for a shouldered keyway alignment ofcomponents within the housing. The housing can support a circuit boardon its inside and on which one or more components of the activitymonitoring device 120 may be positioned.

The data processing device 150 can include a controller 222, a memorydevice 224, a user interface 226, a power source 228, a motor 230, and awireless communication interface 232 that are configured to electricallycommunicate with one another. The power source 228 can provide power toone or more components of the data processing device 150. The componentsof the data processing device 150 can be contained in or supported by ahousing of the data processing device 150. In other aspects, theactivity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150 caninclude additional or alternative components than those illustrated inFIG. 2 .

The controller 202 can control operations of one or more othercomponents (for instance, the memory device 204, the user interface 206,the power source 208, the one or more sensors 210, or the communicationinterface 212) of the activity monitoring device 120 according at leastto instructions stored in the memory device 204. The controller 202 can,for instance, control monitoring of loading of the body part 110 with aweight of the body or positioning of the body part 110 and record dataindicative of loading of the body part 110 or positioning of the bodypart 110 to the memory device 204.

The user interface 206 can include one or more output elements, such asvisual feedback devices(for example, light emitting diodes), hapticfeedback devices, or audio devices (for example, speakers), that provideuser outputs to a user. The one or more elements can convey statusinformation to the user like whether the activity monitoring device 120is successfully functioning or has successfully configured communicationwith the data processing device 150. In some aspects, the user interface206 may not include one or more input elements, such as buttons,switches, dials, touch pads, microphones, or touch screens, forreceiving user inputs for configuring the activity monitoring device120. In such aspects, the activity monitoring device 120 can arrive to auser preconfigured so that the activity monitoring device 120 is able tofunction without receiving such user inputs, or the activity monitoringdevice 120 can be configured through communication with another device,such as the data processing device 150. In some aspects, the userinterface 206 may have no more than one user input element, such as abutton, for receiving user inputs to activate and deactivate theactivity monitoring device 120 or performing one or more otherfunctions.

The one or more sensors 210 can be used to detect and monitor a motionof the activity monitoring device 120 or other characteristics of oraround the activity monitoring device 120. Certain motion of theactivity monitoring device 120 can be recognized by the controller 202to cause initiation of or complete particular functions, such asinitiating or authenticating a communication pairing between theactivity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150 topermit future communication. In addition, the one or more sensors 210can be used to detect and monitor activities of the user of the activitymonitoring device 120 that include, for instance, a loading orpositioning of the body part 110. The one or more sensors 210 caninclude one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, impedancesensors, thermistors, pressure sensors, or optical sensors, among othertypes of sensors. The one or more sensors 210 can be positionedproximate to the body part 110 or may be remote from the body part 110yet usable to monitor characteristics of the body part 110.

The communication interface 212 can be used to communicate with the dataprocessing device 150, such as via radio waves and according to aBluetooth™ protocol like Bluetooth™ Low Energy or another protocol. Thecommunication interface 212 can, for example, communicate and pair withother devices and transmit device usage or sensor data like alarms,monitored loading or positioning, or changes to a monitoring or therapyprogram performed by the activity monitoring device 120 to the dataprocessing device 150. The communication interface 212 can be used toreceive data, including commands, from the data processing device 150.

The communication interface 212 can be permitted to communicate with(for example, transfer data to or process commands from) the dataprocessing device 150 once a communication channel is configured (forexample, by device pairing) between the communication interface 212 andthe data processing device 150 but not before the communication channelis configured. The configuration of the communication channel can beperformed out-of-band and may not, in some implementations, be performedentirely or partly using the communication interface 212.

Turning to the data processing device 150, as illustrated in FIG. 2 ,the controller 222 of the data processing device 150 can controloperations of one or more other components of the data processing device150 according at least to instructions stored in the memory device 224.The controller 222 can, for instance, configure and controlcommunication with the activity monitoring device 120, as well asprocess data received from the activity monitoring device 120 or sendcommands to the activity monitoring device 120. The data processingdevice 150 can executed one or more applications to assist withcommunicating with the activity monitoring device 120.

The user interface 226 of the data processing device 150 can include oneor more elements that receive user inputs or provide user outputs to auser. The one or more input elements of the user interface 226 thatreceive user inputs can include buttons, switches, dials, touch screens,or the like, and the one or more output elements that provide useroutputs can include indicators, screens, speakers, or the like. The useroutputs can, for instance, indicate to a user how to move the activitymonitoring device 120 in a motion sequence to enable communicationbetween the activity monitoring device 120 and the data processingdevice 150 via the communication interface 212 of the activitymonitoring device 120.

The motor 230 can be driven to cause the data processing device 150 tomove or vibrate. The motor can, for example, cause the data processingdevice 150 to move in a motion sequence that matches a motion sequencerecognizable by the activity monitoring device 120. As a result, whenthe data processing device 150 may be positioned against the activitymonitoring device 120, the data processing device 150 can cause theactivity monitoring device 120 to also move in the motion sequence.

The wireless communication interface 232 of the data processing device150 can be used to communicate with the activity monitoring device 120,such as via radio waves and according to a Bluetooth™ protocol likeBluetooth™ Low Energy or another protocol. The wireless communicationinterface 232 can, for example, receive device usage data like alarms,monitored loading or positioning, or changes to a monitoring or therapyprogram performed by the activity monitoring device 120 or transmit datalike commands.

Device Communication Management

FIG. 3 illustrates a device communication initiation process 300. Forconvenience, the process 300 is described in the context of the useractivity monitoring system 100, but may instead be implemented in othercomponents or systems described herein, or by other computing systemsnot shown. The process 300 can advantageously, in certain aspects,enable the activity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device150 to establish a secure communication channel for transmittinginformation, such as data collected by the activity monitoring device120 by activities of a user of the activity monitoring device 120.

At block 302, the process 300 can facilitate motion of an activitymonitoring device in a motion sequence with a data processing device.For example, the data processing device 150 can facilitate movement ofthe activity monitoring device 120 by presenting motion sequenceinstructions to a user of the activity monitoring device 120 or byphysically moving the data processing device 150 in the motion sequencewhen the activity monitoring device 120 is positioned against the dataprocessing device 150.

At block 304, the process 300 can detect a motion of the activitymonitoring device in the motion sequence. The one or more sensors 210 ofthe activity monitoring device 120 can, for example, monitor the motionof the activity monitoring device 120 and the controller 202 of theactivity monitoring device 120 can determine that the monitored motionmatches the motion sequence. The motion sequence may include one or bothof an initiation sequence and an authentication sequence. The initiationsequence can cause the activity monitoring device 120 to enter a modefor beginning to establish a communication channel, such as via thecommunication interface 212, with another device, such as the dataprocessing device 150. The authentication sequence can transferauthentication information, such as a key like an encryption key or apasskey, to authenticate and secure communication between the activitymonitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150.

At block 306, the process 300 can enable the activity monitoring deviceto communicate with the data processing device. The activity monitoringdevice 120 can, for instance, be permitted to now communicate with thedata processing device 150 via the communication interface 212. In oneexample, the activity monitoring device 120 can be permitted tocommunicate because the activity monitoring device 120 may be pairedwith the data processing device 150 responsive to detection of themotion of the activity monitoring device 120 in the motion sequence.

At block 308, the process 300 can enable the data processing device tocommunicate with the activity monitoring device. The data processingdevice 150 can, for instance, be permitted to now communicate with theactivity monitoring device via the wireless communication interface 232.In one example, the data processing device 150 can be permitted tocommunicate because the data processing device 150 may be paired withthe activity monitoring device 120.

FIG. 4 illustrates the data processing device 150 positioned tocommunicate with the activity monitoring device 120. The data processingdevice 150 can include a display 410 that can indicate to a user toplace the activity monitoring device 120 on the display 410 at aparticular location indicated on the display 410 with a message like“PLACE DEVICE HERE.” Placement of the activity monitoring device 120device proximate or against the display 410 can desirably, in certainaspects, enable the data processing device 150 to assist the user inperforming the motion sequence to enable communication between theactivity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150.

The activity monitoring device 120 can be partly or entirely covered bya conductive material, a dielectric material, or the like, and thedisplay 410 may be sensitive to conductive materials, dielectricmaterials, or the like. As a result, the display 410 can be used todetect contact of the activity monitoring device 120 to the display 410,as well as a placement of the activity monitoring device 120 on thedisplay 410. In cases where contact is sufficient to facilitatecommunication between the activity monitoring device 120 and the dataprocessing device 150, the contact may be used to trigger a nextcommunication action. In cases where contact and positioning of thephone may be valuable (such as to ensure a proper vibrations transfer tothe activity monitoring device 120), the display 410 can further displayone or more messages indicating to move the activity monitoring device120 on the display 410 so that the activity monitoring device 120 ispositioned in a desired location.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the data processing device 150 instructinghow to configure communication between the activity monitoring device120 and the data processing device 150, such as after the dataprocessing device 150 detects contact or proper placement of theactivity monitoring device 120.

As can be seen from FIG. 5A, the display 410 can provide instructions toa user to physically move the activity monitoring device 120 bydisplaying a message like “PLEASE MOVE ACTIVITY MONITORING DEVICE INPATTERN SHOWN ON FOLLOWING SCREENS.” The display 410 can, for instance,instruct the user to move the activity monitoring device 120 in a motionsequence that matches the motion sequence to cause the activitymonitoring device 120 to communicate with the data processing device150.

In one implementation, the display 410 can instruct the user to move theactivity monitoring device 120 as provided in Table 1 to input theparticular values to the activity monitoring device 120.

TABLE 1 Device Motion Input Value Left 0 Right 1 Up 2 Down 3 Forward 4Backward 5 Twist Right in X-axis 6 Twist Left in X-axis 7 Twist Right inY-axis 8 Twist Left in Y-axis 9

As one example use of Table 1, if the display 410 instructs the user tomove the activity monitoring device 120 (i) left, (ii) forward, (iii)twist left in y-axis, and (iv) right, the display 410 can be instructingthe user to input the values 0, 4, 9, and 1 to the activity monitoringdevice 120.

In yet another implementation, the display 410 can additionally oralternatively instruct the user to move the activity monitoring device120 in a way that matches that of a virtual combination lock. Thedisplay 410 can guide the user through a series of left or right partialor full turns to input one or more values. For example, each N degree oftwist of the activity monitoring device 120 can change an input value.

In some aspects, the activity monitoring device 120 can have labeling onone or more of its surfaces or one or more indicators to assist a userwith inputting one or more values to configuration communication betweenthe activity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150.

As can be seen from FIG. 5B, the display 410 can provide instructions toa user to hold the activity monitoring device 120 against the display410 by displaying a message like “PLEASE HOLD ACTIVITY MONITORING DEVIDEAGAINST SCREEN SO THAT ACTIVITY MONITORING DEVICE MOVES WITH SCREENMOVEMENTS.” Once the data processing device 150 detects contact with orproper placement of the activity monitoring device 120 against thedisplay 410, the data processing device 150 can move in a motionsequence that matches a motion sequence recognized by the activitymonitoring device 120 to cause the activity monitoring device 120 tobegin communicating with (for example, pairing) the data processingdevice 150.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate the data processing device 150 partly coveredby a case 610 that can assist with coupling of the activity monitoringdevice 120 to the data processing device 150. As can be seen, thedisplay 410 and its instructions to a user may be seen by the userthrough the case 610. The case 610 can include a groove 612 (or a slotor cutout) for snuggly positioning and supporting the activitymonitoring device 120 by the data processing device 150. The groove 612can help with passing vibrations or motions of the data processingdevice 150 to the activity monitoring device 120 when the activitymonitoring device 120 is positioned and supported by the groove 612.Moreover, the display 410 can show a line 614 that identifies where theactivity monitoring device 120 is to be positioned on the dataprocessing device 150.

The data processing device 150 can also include a front camera 620 on asame side of the data processing device 150 as the display 410. Thegroove 612 can be desirably, in certain aspects, positioned andconstructed so that the activity monitoring device 120 partly orentirely covers the front camera 620 when the activity monitoring device120 is positioned properly against the data processing device 150. Thefront camera 620 can additionally or alternatively be used to detectproper placement of the activity monitoring device 120, such as beforefacilitating motion of the activity monitoring device 120 in a motionsequence by vibrating the data processing device 150.

FIG. 7A illustrates the data processing device 150 partly covered by acase 710 that can assist with coupling of the activity monitoring device120 to the data processing device 150. The case 710 can include a groove712 (or a slot or cutout) for snuggly positioning and supporting theactivity monitoring device 120 by the data processing device 150. Thegroove 712 can be on an opposite side of the data processing device 150from the display 410. The groove 712 can help with passing vibrations ormotions of the data processing device 150 to the activity monitoringdevice 120 when the activity monitoring device 120 is positioned andsupported by the groove 712.

The data processing device 150 can include a rear camera 720 on theopposite side of the data processing device 150 from the display 410.The groove 712 can be desirably, in certain aspects, positioned andconstructed so that the activity monitoring device 120 partly orentirely covers the rear camera 720 when the activity monitoring device120 is positioned properly against the data processing device 150. Therear camera 720 can additionally or alternatively be used to detectproper placement of the activity monitoring device 120, such as beforefacilitating motion of the activity monitoring device 120 in a motionsequence by vibrating the data processing device 150.

FIG. 7B illustrates the data processing device 150 partly covered by acase 730 that can assist with coupling of the activity monitoring device120 to the data processing device 150. The case 730 can include a groove732 (or a slot or cutout) for snuggly positioning and supporting theactivity monitoring device 120 by the data processing device 150. Thegroove 732 can help with passing vibrations or motions of the dataprocessing device 150 to the activity monitoring device 120 when theactivity monitoring device 120 is positioned and supported by the groove732. The groove 732 can be on an opposite side of the data processingdevice 150 from the display 410 and positioned so that the activitymonitoring device 120 partly or entirely covers a rear camera 740 whenthe activity monitoring device 120 is positioned properly against thedata processing device 150. The rear camera 740 can thus additionally oralternatively be used to detect proper placement of the activitymonitoring device 120.

FIG. 7C illustrates the data processing device 150 partly covered by acase 750 that can assist with coupling of the activity monitoring device120 to the data processing device 150. The case 750 can include a groove752 (or a slot or cutout) for snuggly positioning and supporting theactivity monitoring device 120 by the data processing device 150. Thegroove 752 can help with passing vibrations or motions of the dataprocessing device 150 to the activity monitoring device 120 when theactivity monitoring device 120 is positioned and supported by the groove752. The groove 752 can be on an opposite side of the data processingdevice 150 from the display 410 and positioned so that the activitymonitoring device 120 partly or entirely covers a microphone 760 whenthe activity monitoring device 120 is positioned properly against thedata processing device 150. The microphone 760 can additionally oralternatively be used to detect proper placement of the activitymonitoring device 120.

FIG. 8A illustrates the data processing device 150 positioned tocommunicate with the activity monitoring device 120. As shown in FIG.8A, the data processing device 150 can be set on the activity monitoringdevice 120 so that one end of the data processing device 150 rests onthe activity monitoring device 120 and an opposite end rests on a flatsurface 810. The data processing device 150 can then detect an angle θ₁ween the flat surface 810 and a bottom surface of the data processingdevice 150. Because the angle θ₁ can be indicative of a number of theactivity monitoring device 120 that are positioned beneath the one endof the data processing device 150, the data processing device 150 candetect the angle θ₁ and accordingly determine to register forcommunication with just one of the activity monitoring device 120, suchas using the process 300 of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 8B illustrates the data processing device 150 positioned tocommunicate with multiple of the activity monitoring device 120. Asshown in FIG. 8B, the data processing device 150 can be set on three ofthe activity monitoring device 120 so that one end of the dataprocessing device 150 rests on the three of the activity monitoringdevice 120 and an opposite end rests on the flat surface 810. The dataprocessing device 150 can then detect an angle θ₂ between the flatsurface 810 and the bottom surface of the data processing device 150.Because the angle θ₂ can be indicative of a number of the activitymonitoring device 120 that are positioned beneath the one end of thedata processing device 150, the data processing device 150 can detectthe angle θ₂ and accordingly determine to register for communicationwith three of the activity monitoring device 120, such as using theprocess 300 of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 9 illustrates the activity monitoring device 120 interacting withthe data processing device 150. As can be seen from FIG. 9 , theactivity monitoring device 120 can be moved along a path 900 across thedisplay 410. The activity monitoring device 120 may have a conductive ordielectric material on its surface that contacts the display 410 so thatthe touch-sensitive detection of the display 410 can determine path dataindicative of the path 900 traveled by the activity monitoring device120 across the display 410. The activity monitoring device 120 can useits gathered motion data (such as, from an accelerometer) to determineposition data indicative of the path 900 traveled by the activitymonitoring device 120 across the display 410 (for instance, bydouble-integrating the gathered motion data to convert acceleration datainto position data). One or both of the activity monitoring device 120and the data processing device 150 can collect and compare (forinstance, from a measure of similarity like a cross-correlation) thepath data and the position data to validate the connection of theactivity monitoring device 120 and the data processing device 150.

As one example of the path data and the position data of the precedingparagraph, FIG. 10A illustrates a display 1000 of path data 1002gathered by the data processing device 150, and FIG. 10B illustrates adisplay 1010 of position data 1012 gathered by the activity monitoringdevice 120. The path data 1002 and the position data 1012 appearrelatively similar and can have a relatively high degree of similarity(such as, in excess of a threshold metric of similarity).

FIG. 11 illustrates conductive or dielectric portions 1100 of theactivity monitoring device 120 according to some aspects. A size/shapeof the each of the conductive or dielectric portions 1100 or a spacingbetween the conductive or dielectric portions 1100 can be sufficientlyunique to distinguish the activity monitoring device 120 from one ormore other devices, such as another of the activity monitoring device120 or another device with a conductive or dielectric material.

The conductive or dielectric portions 1100 can be positioned against andmoved along the display 410. The touch-sensitive detection of thedisplay 410 can in turn detect the conductive or dielectric portions1100 and thus a path of each of the individual one of the conductive ordielectric portions 1100. The conductive or dielectric portions 1100 canprovide a distinctive device signature, which can be detected by thedata processing device 150 and usable to confirm that a device havingthe distinctive device signature contacted the display 410.

FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrate approaches for controlling resistancesbetween the conductive or dielectric portions 1100. As can be seen inFIG. 12A, conductive materials 1210 can extend from the conductive ordielectric portions 1100 within the activity monitoring device 120. Eachof the conductive materials 1210 can be coupled on opposite ends of theconductive or dielectric portions 1100 to each of the other of theconductive materials 1210 via a resistance, such as a resistor 1220. Asshown in in FIG. 12B, each of the conductive or dielectric portions 1100can, for instance, be electrically coupled to the other two of theconductive or dielectric portions 1100. Two of the conductive ordielectric portions 1100 can be coupled via a resistor R1, another twoof the conductive or dielectric portions 1100 can be coupled via aresistor R2, and yet another two of the conductive or dielectricportions 1100 can be coupled via a resistor R3. The resistances or theratio of resistances of the resistors R1, R2, and R3 can further be setor varied to provide a distinctive device signature detectable by thetouch-sensitive detection of the display 410. In one example, the ratioof the resistances of the resistors R1, R2, and R3 can respectively be1:5:9.

ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

In some aspects, a method is disclosed where the method includes:preventing processing, by a first electronic device, of a commandreceived from a second electronic device via a communication interfaceof the first electronic device; facilitating, by the second electronicdevice, a motion of the first electronic device in a motion sequence;detecting, by the first electronic device, the motion of the firstelectronic device in the motion sequence; and in response to saiddetecting, enabling processing, by the first electronic device, of thecommand received from the second electronic device via the communicationinterface.

The method of the preceding paragraph can include one or more of thefollowing features: The method can include: monitoring, by the firstelectronic device, activity data for a user from the motion of the firstelectronic device when the first electronic device is supported by theuser; and subsequent to said enabling processing, outputting, via thecommunication interface, the activity data to the second electronicdevice. The facilitating can include presenting, by a display of thesecond electronic device, instructions to a user for moving the firstelectronic device in the motion sequence. The facilitating can includemoving the second electronic device in a way that physically moves thefirst electronic device in the motion sequence. The detecting can beperformed using an accelerometer. The enabling processing can includepairing the first electronic device and the second electronic device.The method can include determining, by the second electronic device,that the first electronic device is proximate to the second electronicdevice, and the determining can be performed using an output of a lightsensor, a microphone, or a touch sensor of the second electronic device.The method can include: covering at least part of the second electronicdevice with a case, the case comprising a slot or a groove; andsupporting the first electronic device with the slot or the groove. Themethod can include activating an indicator of the first electronicdevice in response to the enabling processing. The motion sequence caninclude a pairing initiation sequence and an authentication sequence.The motion sequence can include a series of turns or vibrations of thefirst electronic device. The second electronic device can include asmart phone or a tablet computer. The method can include receiving, bythe first electronic device, the command according to a Bluetooth LowEnergy protocol via the communication interface.

In some aspects, an apparatus is disclosed where the apparatus includes:a housing; a motion sensor supported by the housing and configured tomonitor a motion of the housing; a communication interface configured towirelessly communicate with an electronic device; and a controllersupported by the housing. The controller is configured to: preventprocessing of a command received from the electronic device via thecommunication interface until a motion sequence by the housing isdetected; detect the motion sequence from the motion of the housing; andresponsive to detection of the motion sequence, enable processing of thecommand received from the electronic device via the communicationinterface.

The apparatus of the preceding paragraph can include one or more of thefollowing features: The motion sequence can include a pairing initiationsequence and an authentication sequence. The controller can transmit oneor more values to the electronic device via the communication interface,the one or more values being indicative of detection of the motionsequence. The controller can enable processing of the command by pairingwith the electronic device. The housing can be attached to a user, andthe controller can determine an activity parameter for the user from themotion of the housing. The controller can detect a disconnect sequencefrom the motion of the housing and, in response to detection of thedisconnect sequence, prevent processing of the command received from theelectronic device via the communication interface until the motionsequence is detected. The motion sequence can be programmed at devicemanufacture. The motion sequence can include a series of vibrations ofthe housing caused by vibrations of the electronic device. The motionsequence can include a series of turns of the housing. The housing canbe shaped to fit in a slot or a groove on the electronic device. Thehousing can be at least partly covered by a conductive material or adielectric material.

In some aspects, a method is disclosed where the method includes:facilitating, by a first electronic device, motion of a secondelectronic device in a motion sequence; detecting, by the secondelectronic device, motion of the second electronic device in the motionsequence; determining, by the second electronic device, a key from themotion sequence from said detecting, the key being usable to communicatewith the first electronic device; and wireles sly communicating, by acommunication interface of the second electronic device, with the firstelectronic device using the key.

The method of the preceding paragraph can include one or more of thefollowing features: The method can include: monitoring, by the firstelectronic device, activity data for a user from motion of the secondelectronic device when the second electronic device is supported by theuser, and the wirelessly communicating can include outputting, via thecommunication interface, the activity data to the first electronicdevice. The facilitating can include presenting, by a display of thefirst electronic device, instructions to a user for moving the secondelectronic device in the motion sequence. The facilitating can includemoving the first electronic device in a way that physically moves thesecond electronic device in the motion sequence. The detecting can beperformed using an accelerometer. The method can include pairing thesecond electronic device with the first electronic device using the key.The method can include activating an indicator of the second electronicdevice in response to said pairing. The method can include determining,by the first electronic device, that the second electronic device isproximate to the first electronic device, and the determining can beperformed using an output of a light sensor, a microphone, or a touchsensor of the first electronic device. The method can include: coveringat least part of the first electronic device with a case, the caseincluding a slot or a groove; and supporting the second electronicdevice with the slot or the groove. The motion sequence can include aseries of turns or vibrations of the second electronic device. Thedetermining the key cna include decoding the key from the series ofturns or vibrations. The first electronic device can include a smartphone or a tablet computer. The wireles sly communicating can beperformed according to a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol.

In some aspects, the apparatus can include: a housing; a motion sensorsupported by the housing and configured to monitor motion of thehousing; a communication interface configured to wirelessly communicatewith an electronic device; and a controller supported by the housing.The controller can: detect a motion sequence from motion of the housing,determine a key from the motion sequence, and communicate with theelectronic device via the communication interface using the key.

The apparatus of the preceding paragraph can include one or more of thefollowing features: The controller can pair with the electronic deviceusing the key. The housing can be attached to a user, and the controllercan determine an activity parameter for the user from motion of thehousing. The motion sequence can be programmed at device manufacture.The motion sequence can include a series of vibrations or turns of thehousing. The controller can determine the key by decoding the motionsequence from the series of vibrations or turns of the housing. Thehousing can be shaped to fit in a slot or a groove on the electronicdevice. The housing can include a plurality of pads including aconductive material or a dielectric material. The apparatus can furtherinclude: a first resistance in the housing that is electrically coupledbetween a first pad of the plurality of pads and a second pad of theplurality of pads, and a second resistance in the housing that iselectrically coupled between the first pad and a third pad of theplurality of pads, the second resistance being different from the firstresistance. A ratio of the first resistance to the second resistance canbe at least 2:1. The apparatus can include the electronic device, andthe electronic device can distinguish the housing from another device bydetecting the first resistance and the second resistance, the anotherdevice including the conductive material or the dielectric material.

Other Variations and Terminology

Although some examples herein may describe connecting electronics deviceusing an out-of-band communication, the examples can similarly apply todisconnecting electronic devices using an out-of-band communication. Forinstance, an electronic device may detect that it has been moved in amotion sequence corresponding to an unpairing instruction and mayaccordingly unpair with one or more other devices.

Any value of a threshold, limit, duration, etc. provided herein is notintended to be absolute and, thereby, can be approximate. In addition,any threshold, limit, duration, etc. provided herein can be fixed orvaried either automatically or by a user. Furthermore, as is used hereinrelative terminology such as exceeds, greater than, less than, etc. inrelation to a reference value is intended to also encompass being equalto the reference value. For example, exceeding a reference value that ispositive can encompass being equal to or greater than the referencevalue. In addition, as is used herein relative terminology such asexceeds, greater than, less than, etc. in relation to a reference valueis intended to also encompass an inverse of the disclosed relationship,such as below, less than, greater than, etc. in relations to thereference value. Moreover, although blocks of the various processes maybe described in terms of determining whether a value meets or does notmeet a particular threshold, the blocks can be similarly understood, forexample, in terms of a value (i) being below or above a threshold or(ii) satisfying or not satisfying a threshold.

Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunctionwith a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood tobe applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example describedherein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed inthis specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract anddrawings), or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed,may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at leastsome of such features or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection isnot restricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. Theprotection extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of thefeatures disclosed in this specification (including any accompanyingclaims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novelcombination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of protection. Indeed, the novel methods and systems describedherein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods andsystems described herein may be made. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in theprocesses illustrated or disclosed may differ from those shown in thefigures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps describedabove may be removed, others may be added. For example, the actual stepsor order of steps taken in the disclosed processes may differ from thoseshown in the figure. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the stepsdescribed above may be removed, others may be added. For instance, thevarious components illustrated in the figures may be implemented assoftware or firmware on a processor, controller, ASIC, FPGA, ordedicated hardware. Hardware components, such as controllers,processors, ASICs, FPGAs, and the like, can include logic circuitry.Furthermore, the features and attributes of the specific embodimentsdisclosed above may be combined in different ways to form additionalembodiments, all of which fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

Although the present disclosure includes certain embodiments, examplesand applications, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatthe present disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosedembodiments to other alternative embodiments or uses and obviousmodifications and equivalents thereof, including embodiments which donot provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein.Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to belimited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments herein, andmay be defined by claims as presented herein or as presented in thefuture.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements, or steps are in anyway required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodimentsnecessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input orprompting, whether these features, elements, or steps are included orare to be performed in any particular embodiment. The terms“comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and areused inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not excludeadditional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, theterm “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusivesense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements,the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list.Further, the term “each,” as used herein, in addition to having itsordinary meaning, can mean any subset of a set of elements to which theterm “each” is applied.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generallyintended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of atleast one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,”“about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent avalue, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, orcharacteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves adesired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”,“generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is withinless than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, withinless than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. Asanother example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel”and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristicthat departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees,10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.

The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by thespecific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section orelsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims aspresented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or aspresented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpretedbroadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited tothe examples described in the present specification or during theprosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed asnon-exclusive.

1-24. (canceled)
 25. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprisingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed byone or more processors of a first electronic device, are configured toimplement a process comprising: detecting motion of the first electronicdevice in a motion sequence; determining a key from the motion sequencefrom said detecting, the key being usable to communicate with a secondelectronic device; communicating with the second electronic device usingthe key; and generating activity data for a user from motion of thefirst electronic device when the first electronic device is supported bythe user, the activity data being usable to monitor loading of a bodypart of the user, wherein said communicating comprises outputting theactivity data to the second electronic device.
 26. The non-transitoryphysical computer storage of claim 25, wherein said generating comprisesgenerating the activity data when the first electronic device isattached to an orthopedic device worn by the user.
 27. Thenon-transitory physical computer storage of claim 25, wherein the bodypart comprises a foot.
 28. The non-transitory physical computer storageof claim 25, wherein the process comprises: pairing with the secondelectronic device using the key; and activating an indicator of thefirst electronic device responsive to said pairing.
 29. Thenon-transitory physical computer storage of claim 25, wherein theprocess comprises enabling communication with the second electronicdevice responsive to determining the key matches a value.
 30. Thenon-transitory physical computer storage of claim 25, wherein the motionsequence comprises a series of turns of the first electronic device, andsaid determining the key comprises decoding the key from the series ofturns.
 31. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 25,wherein the motion sequence comprises a series of vibrations of thefirst electronic device, and said determining the key comprises decodingthe key from the series of vibrations.
 32. The non-transitory physicalcomputer storage of claim 25, wherein the process comprises executing acommand received from the second electronic device to adjust anoperation of the first electronic device.
 33. The non-transitoryphysical computer storage of claim 25, wherein said detecting isperformed using an accelerometer or a gyroscope of the first electronicdevice.
 34. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 25,wherein said communicating comprises wirelessly communicating with thesecond electronic device using the key.
 35. The non-transitory physicalcomputer storage of claim 25, wherein said communicating is performedaccording to a Bluetooth™ Low Energy protocol.
 36. A method forfacilitating communication between two electronic devices, the methodcomprising: detecting, by a first electronic device, motion of the firstelectronic device in a motion sequence; determining, by the firstelectronic device, a key from the motion sequence from said detecting,the key being usable to communicate with a second electronic device;communicating, by the first electronic device, with the secondelectronic device using the key; and generating, by the first electronicdevice, activity data for a user from motion of the first electronicdevice when the first electronic device is supported by the user, theactivity data being usable to monitor loading of a body part of theuser, wherein said communicating comprises outputting the activity datato the second electronic device.
 37. The method of claim 36, furthercomprising attaching the first electronic device to a leg of the user.38. The method of claim 36, wherein the body part comprises a foot. 39.The method of claim 36, further comprising: pairing with the secondelectronic device using the key; and activating an indicator of thefirst electronic device responsive to said pairing.
 40. The method ofclaim 36, further comprising enabling communication with the secondelectronic device responsive to determining the key matches a value. 41.The method of claim 36, wherein the motion sequence comprises a seriesof turns or vibrations of the first electronic device, and saiddetermining the key comprises decoding the key from the series of turnsor vibrations.
 42. The method of claim 36, further comprising executinga command received from the second electronic device to adjust anoperation of the first electronic device.
 43. The method of claim 36,wherein said communicating comprises wirelessly communicating with thesecond electronic device using the key.
 44. The method of claim 36,further comprising supporting the first electronic device against thesecond electronic device so that a movement of the first electronicdevice follows a movement of the second electronic device.